Bottom-ranked A’s farm system replenished in the MLB draft

The Oakland A’s added 20 new players in the 2021 MLB Draft to infuse a farm system that national analysts have ranked among one of the worst in baseball.

A’s first-round pick Max Muncy, a shortstop out of Thousand Oaks High School in Southern California, could be an immediate boost to Oakland’s system. Muncy is ranked No. 38 on MLB Pipeline’s top prospects list. Muncy, 18, is known for his hit tool and power potential — something the A’s saw first hand when he was hitting home runs to all fields during his workout at the Coliseum.

“He generates it without a lot of effort,” A’s scouting director Eric Kubota said. “We’ve seen him hit home runs to all fields. He did come here and work out. It’s not easy for high school players to show power here at the Coliseum and he did. More than anything, the ease with which he gets to his power.”

In their pre-draft analysis, Baseball America wrote Muncy shows “above-average hitting ability with a knack for driving the ball the other way,” adding that he has strong hands with a mature approach against opposing hitters. He also has a quick twitch and instincts defensively at shortstop and could move to third base, though the A’s say they see him as an everyday shortstop.

Muncy will add to an Oakland farm system that took a hit in recent years as top prospects graduated to the big leagues, including pitcher Jesús Luzardo and catcher Sean Murphy. He will join catcher Tyler Soderstrom, the 2020 first-round pick who represented the A’s in the Futures Game on Sunday, jumped instantly as the A’s No. 1 prospect once he signed. Soderstrom is the only A’s player listed on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects list.

He also joins a crowded group of infield prospects, including 22-yearold infielder Nick Allen and 2019 first-round pick Logan Davidson, both in Double-A, and shortstop Robert Puason, 18.

The A’s have some top prospects in Triple-A, including right-handed pitcher Daulton Jefferies — who is on the precipice of big league playing time. Though left-handed pitcher A.J. Puk has had a taste of the big leagues, he’s still considered one of the top prospects as injury has barred him from consistent playing time.

Here are the A’s other 19 picks in the three-day draft:

Round 2, third baseman Zack Gelof, University of Virginia: Gelof, 21, had 18 doubles and nine home runs with 32 walks and 40 strikeouts in 260 at bats with the Cavaliers in the 2021 season. The A’s see him as an everyday third baseman who is “physical and very athletic for how physical he is,” Kubota said.

Round 3, RHP Mason Miller, Gardner-Webb University: Miller has a fastball that’s hit 100 mph on some radar guns, according to Kubota. At Gardner-Webb, he posted a 3.30 ERA with 121 strikeouts in 15 appearances.

“We think there’s tremendous upside with body and strength and strike-throwing ability,” Kubota said.

Round 4. Outfielder Denzel Clarke, Cal State Northridge: Clarke was named Big West Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 for his play in center field for CSUN. He slashed .324/.335/.570 slugging percentage with eight home runs last year.

Round 5, catcher CJ Rodriguez, Vanderbilt: Rodriguez caught firstrounders Jake Leiter and Kumar Rocker in college, so he has some experience handling elite pitching. He shows some considerable plate discipline, posting 36 walks with 19 strikeouts, slashing .249/.393/.378 in 185 atbats in 2021.

Round 6, RHP Grant Holman, University of California, Berkeley: The Cal Bear is seen as having starter potential, Kubota said. Holman had a 3.83 ERA in 2021 with 22 walks and 46 strikeouts in 47 innings.